WOW Photo Club Upcoming Events

Our last field trip for 2009 will to Berry College in Rome, GA on Saturday,
Nov. 7.  We are meeting at 8:30 AM in the Regions Bank parking lot, just beyond the main traffic light in Dallas (across from the old courthouse).

Berry College is Eliza’s alma mater, and it’s a beautiful school with two unique campuses.  I believe it is considered the largest “land-mass” college in the world.  We’ll be having lunch at Shroeder’s.

The weather forecast is fantastic.

       

        

         Swan Lake at Berry College Mountain Campus

November 18 WOW Photo Club Surprise (6:30 PM in Fellowship Hall)

Have we got a treat for everyone.  Sandra and Ken Westbrooks are returning from their extensive travels throughout the USA.  They will be showing us some of their pictures and talking about their travels from a photographic viewpoint as well as providing travel tips.  And we’ll have a question and answer session at the end.

You don’t want to miss this!  Sandra and Ken make a wonderful wife and husband photographic team.  Below is their profile on Flickr.

My husband and I are both retired and we enjoy traveling in our RV with our two pets, Buttons and Sophie [dogs]. We were both raised in rural areas in the south and continue to love our southern roots.
Photography is one of my hobbies and love to photograph western NC and Virginia, the western part of the US, and especially Alaska. We enjoy almost all National Parks, rural or small churches, farms and barns. My favorite subject to photograph is wildlife in Alaska.

 http://www.flickr.com/photos/34980328@N06/

After the meeting we’ll be hanging our exhibit in the gym (Family Life Center).  Anyone who would like to help please bring a hammer to help hang the pictures.  You club leaders really appreciate it.  More information is in the previous blog entry.

Christmas Social on Friday, Dec 11 at 7 PM

Jim Underwood is hosting our Christmas Social at his home in Hiram.  We can bring 1 guest but no children.  Of course our one teenage member is not a child and we hope to see her there . . . her mom too.

No need to bring anything, and we won’t be exchanging gifts.  We’re gathering for a good time and a relaxing evening of food and camaraderie.  Of course you can always bring your camera!

Would you please RSVP to Jim by email to help him plan.

                 jcunder43@comcast.net

Time:  Friday, December 11 at 7 PM

Directions are in the previous blog entry.

I hope you all will really enjoy taking pictures during the holidays, and remember that our January competition is on Holiday Scenes. 

Congratulations to our Street Scene winners in the last competition of the year, Lynn 3rd, David and John 1st and Jerry 2nd.

http://picasaweb.google.com/WOWPhotoClub/StreetScenesWOWPhotoClubCompetition#

My friend, Marie, and I had a ball taking pictures in Mexico City, so  shoot, shoot, shoot and enjoy this wonderful hobby we call photography. - Waldy

 

 

 

WOW Photo Club October 21, 2009 Competition Meeting and Future Events

Our last competition of the year is on Wednesday, October 21 in the Fellowship Hall (under the main sanctuary).  We meet at 6:30 PM, after the WOW dinner that starts at 5:45 PM in the gym.

The competition theme is Street Scenes:  “slice of life” photos of city or town scenes and the people that live there.  Please limit the photos to those taken in the last two years.  As always we are able to enter three photos in color, back and white or an artistic treatment.  They should be 8x10 or larger, matted or not matted.  Also, remember to mark the orientation of the photo by writing “top” on the top side.

 

          

 

Future Events:

Our last field trip for 2009 will to Berry College in Rome, GA on Saturday,
Nov. 7.  Berry College is Eliza’s alma mater, and it’s a beautiful school with two unique campuses.  I believe it is considered the largest “land-mass” college in the world.  Eliza will have more information at the club meeting (when and were to meet, etc.).

       

Berry College scenes

After our November 18 club meeting the club leaders will hang an exhibit of the members photographs. 

• Each club member can exhibit up to 5 photos 8x10 in size or larger.  The photos need not have been in one of our competitions, and they can be of any theme as long as they are appropriate to hang in a church environment.
• Photos must be matted if they are 8x10 or 11x14’s.  Large photos don’t have to be matted, but must be mounted to a board to provide support.
• All photos need to have hooks or hook and wires.  We’re providing the wall hooks, but we need you to deliver your photos “ready to hang.”

Mark this one on your calendar!  Jim Underwood is hosting our Christmas Social at his home in Hiram.  You are allowed 1 guest, but no children.  No need to bring anything, and we will not exchange gifts.  We’re gathering for a good time and a relaxing evening of food and camaraderie.  Of course you can always bring your camera!

It’s important that we all RSVP to Jim by email.

                 jcunder43@comcast.net

Time:  Friday, December 11 at 7 PM

Directions:

From Dallas:

Go South toward Villa Rica on 61 from 278 3.1 miles to Hiram Sudie Rd or (SR 120 Conn). Turn left onto Hiram Sudie Rd for 2.3 miles to McClung Rd. Take a right for .2 mile to Sinyard Circle. Take a right for .2 mile to Magnolia Path.

From Atlanta:

I-75 North to 120W from Marietta to Hiram. At the 278, 120 changes to Bill Caruth Pkwy. Take Bill Caruth Pkwy 2.3 miles to Hiram Sudie Rd or (SR 120 Conn). Turn right and go 1.3 miles to McClung Rd. Take a left for .2 mile to Sinyard Circle. Take a right for .2 miles to Magnolia Path.

From Douglasville:

Take 92 from Douglasville toward Hiram. Take a left off 92 onto Bill Caruth Pkwy. Go 1.8 miles to Hiram Sudie Rd or (SR 120 Conn). Take a left onto Hiram Sudie for 1.3 miles to McClung Rd. Take a left for .2 mile to Sinyard Circle. Take a right for .2 miles to Magnolia Path.

From Atlanta Airport:

Take Camp Creek Parkway which changes to Thornton Rd and later to 278 toward Hiram. Take left off 278 onto Bill Caruth Pkwy. Take Bill Caruth Pkwy 2.3 miles to Hiram Sudie Rd or (SR 120 Conn). Turn right and go 1.3 miles to McClung Rd. Take a left for .2 mile to Sinyard Circle. Take a right for .2 miles to Magnolia Path. Approximately 40 miles.

From Chattanooga:

Take 75 South to Acworth Highway 92. Take 92 toward Dallas to Highway 120 or Charles Hardy Pkwy. Take 120 to 278 where the name changes to Bill Caruth Pkwy. Take Bill Caruth Pkwy 2.3 miles to Hiram Sudie Rd or (SR 120 Conn). Turn right and go 1.3 miles to McClung Rd. Take a left for .2 mile to Sinyard Circle. Take a right for .2 miles to Magnolia Path.

Telephone Home 678-363-9524

Cell 404-838-8111

Future competitions so you’ll have plenty of time to take pictures for them: (more details will follow later)

Jan 2010:  Holiday Theme (a scene with Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year’s as a theme)

March 2010:  Abstract

May 2010:  Macro (close-ups)

July 2010:  3 Pictures in one theme (3 photos that complete a single theme framed in one mat or mounted on a board)

Sept 2010:  Metamorphous, a State of Change (a photo showing something in change)

Future photo field trips in 2010:

• High Shoals Falls
• Oakland Cemetery, Atlanta
• Sweetwater Reserve
• Little 5 Points, Atlanta
• Jack & Molly Bickford’s horse ranch

Remember that practice makes perfect . . . so shoot, shoot, shoot, and enjoy photography as the wonderful hobby it is . . . have fun!

Waldy

PS  And  edit your pictures in Picasa . . . editing the photos can be almost as much fun as shooting the pictures.

WOW Photo Club September 16 Meeting and August Club Wrap-up

Waldy teaches editing at the September 16 meeting

WOW dinners are back at 5:45 PM so come early and have a great meal for only a $4 donation.  After dinner we’ll meet at 6:30 PM in the Fellowship Hall, under the main sanctuary.  Remember, that due to construction parking is at City Call, across Memorial Street in the new Kennesaw/Highland University Dallas Campus, at Regions Bank or around the old courthouse.

Waldy will concentrate on showing editing techniques in Picasa, our club’s recommended editing/database software that is free for downloading from Google.  He will also introduce Adobe’s PhotoElements, a fantastic editing program that sells for about $80.  Please bring your questions, and a notepad and pen.

 

    Picasa in editing/cropping module         Picasa in library/database module

Adobe’s PhotoElement editor 

Also, remember to bring a couple of your photos for a “share’n tell” at the end of the meeting.

Simply Serve was a big success!

Simply Serve is the church’s ministry fair that provides the congregation with information and an opportunity to join the many ministries of our church.

WOW Photo Club sponsored a table, and I’m we ecstatic to report lots of interest and that nine folks joined our club.  Folks were excited to see what we’ve done in our first six month as a club.

 

Fun at the Beach Competition drew many entries.

We had a really good turn out for our Fun at the Beach competition with Lynn Cochran taking 1st Place, Eliza Nobles taking 2nd and Waldy coming in 3rd.  Lynn and Eliza are repeat winners.

                             Waldy 3rd,    Eliza 2nd   and Lynn, 1st 

 

Our next competition on October 21 will be Street Scenes:  “slice of life” photos of city or town scenes and the people that live there.  Please limit the photos to those taken in the last two years.  As always we are able to enter three photos in color, back and white or an artistic treatment.  They should be 8x10 or larger, matted or not matted.

   

In November the WOW Photo Club will hang an exhibit in the Family Life Center for the whole congregation to enjoy.

August Field Trip was a blast at Lake Allatoona on John Lindsay’s houseboat, “Five O’clock Somewhere.”

Again, thank you John for being such a gracious host and for cooking those delicious hamburgers and hotdogs.

 

Our next field trip will to Berry College in Rome, GA on Saturday, Nov. 7.  Berry College is Eliza’s alma mater, and it’s a beautiful school with two unique campuses.  I believe it is considered the largest “land-mass” college in the world.

 

 

What if I only have a Point’n Shoot Camera?

I hear that all the time . . . but, hey . . . Eliza has won three times with her “point’n and shoot camera.  Almost makes me want to throw away my expensive camera.  Just kidding, but point’n shoot can take really great pictures, and this club is about helping you do just that.  All the pictures below were done with various consumer, point’n shoot cameras I’ve owned over the years.

These photos where shot with a Nikon P60 that I got on close-out for only $100.  I had it in a Ziploc baggie to protect it from the water. I’d take it out from time to time to snap a few pictures . . . or until my partner told me to stop taking pictures and get pack to paddling!

Photos below were taken with my old Canon Elph, 4 megapixel camera that finally bit the dust.  These were taken on cycling rides.

Remember, shoot, shoot, shoot . . . practice makes perfect, but above all enjoy this wonderful hobby we call photography!

Waldy

Upcoming Events for the WOW Photo Club in August ‘09

Lake Allatoona Field Trip hosted by John and Debbi Lindsay on Saturday, August 15

We’ll be meeting at 10 AM at the City Hall parking lot across Church Street, along the side of the church.

John Lindsay is graciously hosting our club’s field trip on his house boat at Lake Allatoona

Here’s his preview of what we’ll be doing: 

“I suggest that I furnish hotdogs, buns and chips, some drinks and we grill out on the lake.

We can leave the church around 10am and head out for Holiday Marina, get on the boat and head out on the lake.  We can find a nice cove and cook out.”   - John

Please mark this on your August calendar as I know it’s going to be lots of fun, and bring your camera.  Thank you John!

Please RSVP to both waldyphoto@hotmail.com and jdlindsay@bellsouth.com

Fun at the Beach Photo Contest at the August 19 Club Meeting

The next WOW Photo Club will be on August 19 at 6:30 PM in the Fellowship Hall, under the main Sanctuary.  Due to the construction please enter the church through the lower, side entrance on the City Hall side.  Remember that you can park across Memorial Street from our church in the parking lot of the future Kennesaw University campus in Dallas.

Fun on the Beach: this can be a landscape or a photos of people or pets having fun on the beach. The shot must showcase the beach or being on the beach.  The photos are limited to those taken within the last three years.

The entries can be color, black and white or something in-between if you want to get artsy.  You can enter up to 3 photos and they should be 8x10 or larger, matted or not matted.  Please do not put your names on the entries, but do indicate the “top orientation” of the picture by drawing an arrow on the back or just writing “Top” to indicate the proper orientation.

We will still judge our own competition as we’ve done in the past.   It was lots of fun last time.  After the winners are chosen we will all get a chance to talk about our photos, and John Lindsay is working on getting an “outside of the club” photographer to critique the photos. This should be a valuable learning experience.

We will have a table at our church’s Simply Serve day on Saturday, August 23. 

I would appreciate winners of our photo contests bringing your winning photos so we can have them on display.  I’ll collect them at our Aug 19 meeting.  Other members are welcomed to contribute up to two photos.  Also, I’d love for one or two club members to sit at the table with me that day.  We will have three sessions after each service.

Simply Serve was the catalyst that got me involved in our church. Here’s a description from our church digital bulletin.

SIMPLY SERVE 2009
Our Simply Serve" ministry fair will take place August 23, after all three services, in the Family Life Center. Please come and see what Dallas First has to offer. You will be amazed at the magnitude of our Ministries. It is something to see!

Tips from our July 15 club meeting where Waldy spoke about Perspective, Effects of Shutter Speed, Depth of Field and Aperture Selection and Focus.

The key to perspective is subject to lens distance.

    

The first photo was taken at a long distance from the subjects (using telephoto), and the distance between them is compressed . . . they look close to each other.  The second photo was taken as the second runner passed close to the camera (using wide-angle) so the distance between the foreground runner and the other runner is exaggerated . . . that “explosive wide-angle” look where the subject closer to the subject is much bigger and the photo recedes behind it.

Another example of the same “telephoto – wide-angle” contrast in perspective is illustrated below.

  

Same photo, but a change in subject to lens (subject to camera) distance creates a different perspective.  Left picture was taken at a greater distance with a medium telephoto, while the right picture was taken with the camera much loser to the sign with a wide-angle lens.

 Explosive wide-angle perspective

Shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot . . . have fun . . . photography is a wonderfully creative art form.

Waldy  (770-241-6383)

July 15 WOW Photo Club Meeting Preview and Club’s June Wrap-up

We are meeting Wednesday, July 15 at 6:30 PM in the Fellowship Hall, below the main sanctuary.

Waldy will be discussing lens perspective, effects of subject to lens distance, effects of shutter speeds and aperture selection and much more.

He will also provide more tips on editing with Picasa, a free work-flow and editing software provide by Google.  Please bring at least two photos to share with the group.  If you bring them on a jump drive or CD Waldy can edit them in Picasa.

 Please bring your cameras as we’ll practice some of these techniques.  Remember that due to construction it’s best to park on the City Hall side of the church or across the street.

 

 Wide-angle lens perspective

  Depth of Field controlled by aperture

 Lake Allatoona Field trip on Saturday, August 15

John Lindsay is graciously hosting our club field trip on his house boat at Lake Allatoona

Here’s his preview of what we’ll be doing: 

“I suggest that I furnish hotdogs, buns and chips, some drinks and we grill out on the lake.

We can leave the church around 10am and head out for Holiday Marina, get on the boat and head out on the lake.  We can find a nice cove and cook out.”   - John

Please mark this on your August calendar as I know it’s going to be lots of fun, and bring your camera.  Thank you John!

Flower Contest Winners from our June 17 Meeting

Congratulations to Eliza Nobles for taking 1st Place and tying Jim Underwood for 2nd Place.  Congratulations to newcomer, Jerry Worthy, for taking 3rd Place.

And just think, Eliza won using her consumer, point’n shoot camera . . . how about that!

 

  Jerry (3rd), Jim (2nd) and Eliza (1st and 2nd)

 

Dallas Dash Fundraiser for our church, June 20

Wish more club members would have taken pictures of the “fun run” as it was a great opportunity for photography.  Waldy and Chis enjoyed covering the event.

            

            

 

Dallas Dash slideshow    (just click on the link to enjoy the complete slide show)

 

Etowah Mounds Field Trip, Saturday, June 20

After the running of the Dallas Dash the club left for our field trip.  We had an educational and interesting time at the Etowah Mounds in Cartersville, GA.  And we finish the field trip with a wonderful dinner at the Cracker Barrel . . . it was a fun day.  Just click on the link after the photos to enjoy a slideshow of the trip.

        

Field Trip Slideshow

 

August 19 Meeting:  Fun at the Beach Contest

Fun on the Beach: this can be a landscape or a photo of people or pets having fun on the beach. The shot must showcase the beach or being on the beach.

The entries can be color, black and white or something in-between if you want to get artsy.  You can enter up to 3 photos and they should be 8x10 or larger, matted or not matted.  Please do not put your names on the entries and do indicate the “top orientation” of the picture by drawing an arrow on the back.

John Lindsay is working on getting an “outside of the club” photographer to judge this contest.   It was lots of fun last time.  After the winners are chosen we will all get a chance to talk about our photos.